The 2025 Marathon des Sables Legendary kicked off on April 6, signaling the beginning of the approximately 250-kilometer (155 miles) stage race through the scorching sands and rocky outcrops of Morocco’s Sahara Desert. After a week of racing, victory went to Rachid El Morabity of Morocco and Maryline Nakache of France.
This year, some 900 participants from 52 countries traveled to Morocco to tackle the six stages held over seven days. Runners carry all their food and gear, while the race organization provides water, tents, and any medical or emergency assistance. Extreme heat and unpredictable conditions made for a thrilling race, with runners facing temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), sandstorms, and even some rain.
This year, the event had an unprecedented number of female participants thanks to continued efforts to make the races more accessible to women. Female participation hit 56% across the four race distances offered at the event (70, 100, 120, and 250k), including 27% in the 250k Legendary race.
The start of the 2025 Marathon des Sables on April 6 in the Moroccan Sahara Desert. Photo: Marathon des Sables/Martí Miró
The 2025 race featured six stages with the following distances:
- Stage 1: 32k (20 miles)
- Stage 2: 40k (25 miles)
- Stage 3: 32.5k (20 miles)
- Stage 4: 82.2k (51 miles)
- Stage 5: 42.2k (26 miles)
- Stage 6: 21.1k (13 miles)
Rachid El Morabity’s win brought his total victories to a record-breaking 11, surpassing the 10 titles of Morocco’s Lahcen Ahansal between 1997 and 2007. Since 2011, Rachid has only missed out on the title three times, one of which was to his younger brother, Mohamed El Morabity, in 2023. The El Morabity brothers dominated this year’s race from start to finish, working together to claim victory in all six stages between the two of them. This was Mohamed’s seventh second-place finish behind his brother.
Early bronze medal contender and multi-time finisher Hamid Yachou, also of Morocco, dropped out during the long Stage 4 due to injury, crushing his hopes of improving on his seventh place in 2023 and fourth place in 2024. It was Morocco’s Ahmed Ouikhalfen who stepped in to take bronze overall, following on from his sixth-place debut in 2024.
Maryline Nakache, returning for the first time since her debut victory in 2023, led the women’s race from the very first day, methodically building up her lead over the week and running a women’s masterclass. Last year’s champion, Aziza El Amrany of the host country, ran a consistent race from start to finish, too, coming in second in Stages 1 to 5 and crossing the line first on the final day.
Dutch runner Ragna Debats, winner of the 2019 edition and eighth in 2023, was one of the pre-race favorites. She started the week well, sitting comfortably in third place at the end of Stage 3. However, her withdrawal from the race during Stage 4 opened the door to a nail-biting battle for third place on the podium over the last two stages.
Annelies Brak of Belgium was running the race of her life, sitting in a close fourth place throughout the first three stages. However, missing gear during a kit check in Stage 3 and the resulting penalty pushed her far down the rankings, forcing her to claw her way back up the standings over the final three stages. However, it wasn’t enough to reclaim a place on the podium, and Tomomi Bitoh of Japan took bronze after a week of consistent running. This was Bitoh’s third podium finish in the event, after finishing third in 2023 and second in 2021.
Other top contenders were British runner Gemma Game, who had three third-place finishes, including last year, and Francesca Canepa of Italy, a longtime top performer at ultras worldwide.
The women’s race also featured 2015 and 2017 champion Elisabet Barnes (Sweden) and 2011 and 2012 champion Laurence Klein (France), who said before the race they were running to participate rather than compete.
Read on to learn more about how the race played out.
France’s Maryline Nakache making Stage 1 look easy at the 2025 Marathon des Sables, on her way to her second win of the event. Photo: Marathon des Sables/Ian Corless
2025 Marathon des Sables Legendary Men’s Race
The Stage 1 opener consisted of a 32-kilometer (20 miles) loop. Runners were eager to establish themselves in the rankings, leading to a fast, highly contested race.
Rachid El Morabity set the pace in the opening miles, followed closely by Hamid Yachou, both of the host country. However, Morocco’s Mohamed El Morabity crossed the line first in 2:20, overtaking older brother Rachid and Yachou at checkpoint 3, 25k (15.5 miles) into the race. Rachid finished hot on his heels in 2:21, with Yachou crossing the line in 2:23. The top five was completed by fellow Moroccans Ahmed Ouikhalfen and Mbark El Morabity, the latter of whom is another brother to Rachid and Mohamed running the event for a second time after 12th place in 2024.
After a relatively straightforward first day, Stage 2 was longer, at 40k (25 miles), and more technical, featuring diverse terrain and almost twice the elevation gain. After a cautious start, Rachid flew over the closing miles, crossing the line in 3:32. Mohamed followed in 3:35, one minute ahead of Ouikhalfen and Yachou. With this Stage 2 finish, Rachid moved past his brother and into first place in the overall standings, while the rest of the top five remained unchanged.
Brothers Mohamed El Morabity (left) and Rachid El Morabity of Morocco work together during Stage 1 of the 2025 Marathon des Sables. Rachid would ultimately win the race, and Mohamed would take second. Photo: Marathon des Sables/Martí Miró
Stage 3 was another loop over 32.5k (20 miles) and another stage victory for Mohamed in 2:38. This put him back into the overall lead. Yachou crossed the line one minute later at 2:39, six minutes ahead of Rachid. Ouikhalfen and Mbark followed in 2:56 and 3:07.
As is often the case with the race’s longest stage, Stage 4 was a turning point for the men’s general classification. The scorching afternoon heat and the accumulation of fatigue made way for drama over the 82.2k (51 miles). The stage was contested over two days, meaning the leaders could look forward to a day of rest after finishing.
Rachid was fresh after taking things easy the previous day. He headed out fast and gradually increased his lead throughout the day to finish in 7:08. Mohamed followed 10 minutes later, almost an hour ahead of Ouikhalfen in third.
Ahmed Ouikhalfen of Morocco on his way to a podium position during the 2025 Marathon des Sables. Photo: Marathon des Sables/Florent Fournier
Yachou withdrew from the race at Stage 4’s penultimate checkpoint due to an injury, and Mbark, struggling in the latter half of the stage, finished in sixth. This made way for some new faces for the stage’s top five: Ignace Debreyne of Belgium and Jean-Baptiste Hurteaux of France, the latter of whose performance moved him up to fifth place in the general classification behind Mbark.
Rachid now held the overall lead, with less than four minutes separating him from his brother in the standings. With Yachou out of contention and Mbark dropping back over Stage 4, Ouikhalfen seemed safe in the bronze medal position, sitting 80 minutes behind Mohamed overall.
Stage 5, the marathon stage, saw little change to the overall standings established the previous day. Rachid and Mohamed ran together for the whole 42.2k (26 miles), with Rachid crossing the line in 3:26, just 40 seconds ahead of his brother. Ouikhalfen finished four minutes later, trailed by Mbark and Hurteaux.
Going into the final day, a short stage over 21.1k (13 miles), the standings seemed fixed. Rachid led his brother by 4.5 minutes, and Ouikhalfen sat comfortably in third place, over 90 minutes ahead of Mbark in fourth.
Rachid El Morabity crossed the line first, securing his record-breaking 11th men’s victory in an overall time of 20:55:47.
Mohamed El Morabity arrived 30 seconds later, finishing with an overall time of 21:00:50, his seventh silver medal in the men’s event.
Ahmed Ouikhalfen finished the stage in sixth place, a performance well sufficient to seal third place in the men’s general classification, with an overall time of 22:27:58.
Morocco’s Mbark El Morabity during Stage 4 of the 2025 Marathon des Sables. In his debut at the event, the third El Morabity brother took fourth overall for the men. Photo: Marathon des Sables/Martí Miró
2025 Marathon des Sables Legendary Men’s Results
- Rachid El Morabity (Morocco) – 20:55:47
- Mohamed El Morabity (Morocco) – 21:00:50
- Ahmed Ouikhalfen (Morocco) – 22:27:58
- Mbark El Morabity (Morocco) – 24:01:19
- Jean-Baptiste Hurteaux (France) – 24:49:41
- Ignace Debreyne (Belgium) – 25:08:28
- Xander De Buysscher (Belgium) – 26:07:44
- Wouter Lafaut (Belgium) – 26:22:24
- Axel Poudes (France) – 26:44:15
- Miquel Angel Capó Crespí (Spain) – 26:57:01
Morocco’s Rachid El Morabity, 2025 Marathon des Sables men’s champion, on his way to a record 11 wins at the event since 2011. Photo: Marathon des Sables/Ian Corless
2025 Marathon des Sables Legendary Women’s Race
The first stage, a loop of 32 kilometers (20 miles), saw Morocco’s Aziza El Amrany storm out of the starting blocks. She led for much of the day, before being overtaken by France’s Maryline Nakache at the third checkpoint at 24.5k (15 miles). Nakache increased her lead over the remaining 8k (5 miles), finishing in 2:58, almost 10 minutes ahead of El Amrany. Ragna Debats of The Netherlands took third place in 3:17, with Belgium’s Annelies Brak and the U.K.’s Gemma Game following in fourth and fifth.
Aziza El Amrany of Morocco looking calm in the early morning light at the 2025 Marathon des Sables. The 2024 women’s champion took second this year. Photo: Marathon des Sables/Florent Fournier
The same pattern emerged in the 40k (25 miles) Stage 2, with El Amrany leading in the opening miles before Nakache powered past just after halfway to finish 30 minutes ahead of her rival. Debats crossed the line hot on the heels of El Amrany, followed by Brak and Game.
Nakache continued to dominate over the 32.5k (20 miles) Stage 3. She began the day in front with El Amrany before pulling ahead after checkpoint 3 at 27k (17 miles), and crossing the line in 3:15, two minutes ahead of El Amrany. Debats rounded off the podium in 3:44.
Disaster struck for Brak at the kit check at checkpoint 3 during Stage 3. She was handed a 120-minute penalty for missing obligatory equipment, which pushed her down to 13th in the women’s overall standings.
Japan’s Tomomi Bitoh, who was in seventh place overall the previous day, crossed the line in fourth, eight minutes behind Debats and two minutes ahead of Alicia Monnaie of France. This performance put Bitoh into fifth place overall behind Game, who had finished the day in seventh place.
At 82.2k (51 miles), Stage 4 was the longest day of racing and, like in the men’s race, a turning point in the women’s overall standings. Nakache was totally unstoppable, pushing the pace throughout, and crossing the line in 7:55, almost a whole hour ahead of El Amrany, in third place overall for both men and women, and only 47 minutes behind the lead man. Brak finished third in 9:43, chipping away at the time lost the previous day, and climbing back up the overall standings to fifth.
Tomomi Bitoh at the 2025 Marathon des Sables. The Japanese runner took third for the women overall. Photo: Marathon des Sables/Ian Corless
Debats was visibly struggling by Stage 4’s checkpoint 2, and eventually abandoned the race at checkpoint 4. Game also came to blows, finishing in 15th position. Strong runs from Bitoh and Francesca Canepa of Italy saw them move into third and fourth place overall.
With just two stages to go, Nakache and El Amrany appeared safe in first and second. However, with less than an hour separating Bitoh, Canepa, and Brak, third place was still largely up for grabs.
After a day of rest for the leaders, runners started the marathon-distance Stage 5 with somewhat refreshed legs. Nakache ran conservatively, staying just behind El Amrany until the final checkpoint, before letting rip over the last 8k (5 miles) to finish four minutes ahead in 3:45.
Morocco’s Aziza El Amrany climbs a steep sand dune during Stage 4 of the 2025 Marathon des Sables, on her way to taking second at the event for women overall. Photo: Marathon des Sables/Ian Corless
Brak continued to make up for lost time, finishing third in 4:14, gaining precious minutes on Bitoh, who finished in sixth in 4:29. At the end of the day, however, Bitoh still held a 40-minute overall lead over Brak for the bronze position, making it likely she’d finish in third overall for the women after the final Stage 6. Canepa finished the stage in 12th place, likely putting her out of medal contention.
Stage 6 held no surprises in the women’s general classification, though El Amrany mixed it up in the stage results and took her first stage win, completing the 21.1k (13 miles) in 1:55. Nakache crossed the line 1.5 minutes behind El Amrany.
In doing so, Maryline Nakache sealed her second victory at the event with an overall time of 23:57:20, over 90 minutes ahead of second place.
Aziza El Amrany took second in 25:36:23.
Tomomi Bitoh finished the stage in seventh place, securing her third place overall for the women in 29:38:25.
Maryline Nakache of France finishing Stage 4 of the 2025 Marathon des Sables, on her way to a second win of the event. Photo: Marathon des Sables/Florent Fournier
2025 Marathon des Sables Legendary Women’s Results
- Maryline Nakache (France) – 23:57:20
- Aziza El Amrany (Morocco) – 25:36:23
- Tomomi Bitoh (Japan) – 29:38:25
- Annelies Brak (Belgium) – 30:05:32
- Alicia Monnaie (France) – 30:16:55
- Francesca Canepa (Italy) – 31:04:53
- Marion Stephan (France) – 31:27:51
- Tanja Spiekermann (Germany) – 31:34:50
- Sonia Poutrel (France) – 31:37:38
- Gemma Game (U.K.) – 31:50:42
Scenery and architecture in the Moroccan Sahara Desert as seen during the 2025 Marathon des Sables. Photo: Marathon des Sables/Martí Miró
